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The Ohio Players are hardly an unknown band, but when it comes to honoring the most innovative and talented funk bands it seems that they always fall beneath the mighty shadows of EW&F and the p-funk mob, which is a shame because the Players deserve to rank up there with the best. “Pleasure” was approximately the third album in the Ohio Player discog, but the first to get widespread attention due to their big RnB hit, “Funky Worm”. Still early in their career, “Pleasure” came out in 1972 before the Players had solidified their signature mid-70s sound and finds them serving up an eclectic mix of styles. Side one is for the jazz rock fans and has the band taking long instrumental rides full of excellent horn arrangements and tricky rhythmic change-ups. Along with the aforementioned EW&F and Parliament, this side may also remind some of Chicago, Tower of Power, Steely Dan, Sly Stone, and Donald Byrd.
After an opening ballad, side two features a couple of old school rave up RnB numbers that sound more like the Four Tops than the slick funk gangstas that the Players would become over the next few years. Next up is “Funky Worm”, the song that broke the modern funk sound to popular RnB radio. Its easy to imagine Bootsie and Geaorge Clinton listening to this song’s silly nonsense lyrics, snakey synth melodies and low down bass driven groove and seeing a whole future of music making. This album is recommended for funk fans who like some jazzy sophistication in their funk, side one in particular will not disappoint.